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Thursday, November 10, 2011

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.

Cynthia Ozick

At Button Central this week, we are grateful for excellent teachers, skilled and caring vets, tick bite antidote, our dreaming puppy and a friend with an overlocker when mine is on the blink! What are you grateful for?

Monday, November 7, 2011

Our market presence has been a little thin on the ground this year due to a combination of family life and breaking my arm earlier in the year. It hasn't healed quite as well as we'd hoped and I'm heading off to the specialist this month to see what we can do next. I've tried to stick to indoor markets and ones where I can take a helper to assist with the lugging and hauling which has been a little tricky with the dodgy arm. I was absolutely delighted to be asked to participate in the Christmas in the Country Art and Craft Show in Gatton last weekend. It ticked all the setting up boxes and was run over three days which was also appealing. I've included a few snaps of the day and some of our new products.

It's been a rough year for the folks in Gatton and the surrounding areas. It was quite moving to listen to stories about how the year unfolded and how it has affected them. When epic and tragic events unfold around us, we feel for those involved but our lives quickly return to normal and their lives are forever changed. It may be something as simple as houses that still have half walls and no carpets, house guests that are still living with them or crops that just couldn't be harvested.

I met a remarkable lady who was a fellow stall holder had lived through a year in which her home had been damaged, her family had been displaced for some time, she'd lost her Mum and the crops which are a huge part of their income had been unable to be harvested or of no sale value. On set up day, Thursday, she produced the most formidable array of gorgeous wares, including Christmas Cakes which were sold out by lunchtime. She was beaming from ear to ear and looked energised and vibrant that night when most of us were stifling yawns and wishing for bed. That day, her husband and 29 cutters had harvested the best crop of onions in memory. She beamed with pride and happiness for her husband and I felt a good part of that pride and happiness, too. I felt quite privileged to listen to her talk and share in the experience in some small way. Aside from the Art and Craft Show, it was a chance to meet some excellent people. If you happen to see produce or goods from the Lockyer Valley when you are filling your shopping baskets and trolleys, buy up big! I hear the crops are top notch this season and I know the support is very appreciated.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

This week we celebrated a big milestone at Button Central. It was the two year anniversary of Mr Button's kidney transplant. We celebrated with some together time and we thanked in a very small way, our super hero donor. We reflected, we gave thanks and we counted our many blessings.

Over the weekend, I've been thinking about Remembering (please note the capital R!). We will always remember the transplant anniversary. I think the Little Buttons will eventually remember the stories but perhaps the date and some of the details will be hazy. I know without a doubt that they will remember and thank our hero. Our closest family and some of the squillions of extended family and friends Remember. A good many friends don't because life goes on and the healthy, vital Mr Button becomes the new norm which, is kind of nice, too. What I have found quite surprising this week, is that many, many people who are not intimately connected with us, Remembered. They asked after Mr Button and his donor, they marveled at his excellent health and the changes this gift brought to our family, and they talked about organ donation.

It's not easy to share something so momentous as this. Sometimes talking about it can be difficult and feel a bit invasive. Sometimes you worry that people are tired of listening or may even be judging your choices and actions. Sometimes you want to forget about the icky stuff for a while. Then I Remembered that our talking about it has led many other people to talk about it - people who may otherwise never have discussed organ donation with their families and friends. Maybe someone will register as an organ donor because we've shared our story.

That would be grand, because, WE WILL FOREVER REMEMBER the good and great gift that our hero gave Mr Button. A gift given to one, Remembered by many.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Popping in quickly to let you know that Elise Hutton has the sharpest peepers of all the Buttons following the blog. She spotted our new Store tab which links to our website. Elise, you may purchase one of our tees for the grand price of $1! I'll make a special listing for you in the store. Email me with your choice and we'll get the ball rolling.

Did you like playing spotto? I'm going to list some spot bargains in the store over the next few days. I'm calling it market reseach! With changes happening to Facebook, I thought some fun and games might give me an idea of who reads status updates and when they read them. Any tricks to help make sense of the crazy world of Facebook are worth their weight in gold. I am fairly sure 'Lil Red' has eagle eyes and fully expect she'll pop up in the games. She's such an enthusiastic player I would love her to win something!

PS. The photo above will give you a little hint of what to look for in the Store.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Over the weekend, I had the chance to finish off a project I've been working on and also made a change to the Facebook page. It's one of those jobs that's been a monkey on my back for months so I thought it might be nice to have a little game to celebrate. If you are so inclined, pop overhere and see if you can spot the difference. The first person to leave a comment with the correct answer on this post can purchase one of these

or any of our other tees for the grand total of $1. Be sure to leave your contact details on your post so I can get in touch with you and let you know if you are the lucky winner.